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4 Tips for Setting Goals – Post Race

I figured seeing how the Gingersneezes run club just completed their goal of a 10k race it would be a good time to address the “now what?” feeling. Personally I feel that it is great to think of what is next, and it is even better to plan a little for what you want that to look like. The last thing you want to do is train your butt off for months just to finish a race and think “well I am never going to need these running shoes again”. So how do you keep motivated? and what can you do to keep yourself moving in a forward motion?

Running, lifting, yoga, or anything really is full of endless goal setting potential. Hopefully while practicing or training you didn’t think “if I do this once I never have to do it again” and you are interested in trying new things and taking your skills to new levels, and if that is the case then post race won’t be too difficult for you.

Now that you have accomplished your goal it is time to set new goals and remind yourself of what has changed and what is now important to you. Here are some simple steps to help you set new goals and keep yourself motivated.

1. Look back at your old goals. Maybe you had made a list of goals you wanted to meet when you first started training or stepped on your mat or picked up that set of dumbbells. Check them out, see which ones you have accomplished, which might need work or reworking.

2. Make it a challenge. When thinking of new goals try and think back to things you felt challenging during your training. Do they still feel that way? Are there aspects of these challenges you would still like to work on?

3. Set a date. It doesn’t have to actually be a day, but there has to be a timeline so you know when to check in. It is great to have over arching goals, but in order to work towards them it is helpful to have smaller time sensitive goals. Things like picking another race, giving yourself two months to learn how to do a headstand or to be able to curl an extra 10lbs are helpful smaller tangible goals. Whatever it is be sure to give your smaller goals a “due date”.

4. Explain why. It is important to set goals but it is also important to address why you are setting something as your goal. Understanding the why will help you to create a plan of attack and when things get challenging will help you stay committed to your goals.

I know I have spoken about goals several times before and it might seem a bit redundant to write about setting “new” goals but it is a whole other beast. Once you accomplish a goal it can get a little tricky to think of what you want out of the next phase of your training. Hopefully the four tips above will help you out next time you meet one of your goals and will keep you pushing forward.

Happy Wednesday everyone. I hope you are all having a wonderful week so far.